Language Access
FDA Language Access Plan 2024 中文 英語 한국어 Tagalog Tiếng Việt Français عربي
Nearly 68 million Americans – about 1 in 5 – speak a language other than English at home, and seven percent of Americans don't speak English.
At the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Office of Minority Health and Health Equity (FDA OMHHE), ensuring all people have access to important health information is essential to the work we do. Promoting language access is a vital part of the FDA OMHHE’s mission to promote and protect the health of diverse populations through research and communication of science that address health disparities.
On August 8, FDA released the FDA Language Access Plan 2024. This plan is consistent with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Language Access Plan released in November of 2023. The HHS Language Access plan was updated for the first time since 2013, in an effort to “ensure greater access to the life-saving services that it provides for people with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) and people with disabilities.” The updated plan outlines the action steps the agency will take to meet the language access needs of the communities FDA serves while continuing to support the presidential executive orders to advance equity, support underserved communities, and improve access to benefits and services, including for people with LEP.
The 2024 FDA Language Access Plan furthers FDA's ongoing work to make health information available to everyone, including people with limited English proficiency. Through the Language Access initiative, FDA OMHHE is also working to provide public health information in multiple languages to reach the diverse communities we serve.
We encourage individuals and organizations who serve diverse populations to download, print and share FDA OMHHE and other FDA materials that provide information on numerous health conditions and topics.
OMHHE Minority Health and Health Equity Resources
Visit the Office of Minority Health and Health Equity's (OMHHE) resources page for health educational materials in multiple languages.
More Information about Language Access at FDA
- FDA Language Access Plan 2024
- HHS Language Access Plan 2023
- www.HHS.gov/LEP
- FDA Report - Ensuring Access to Adequate Information on Medical Products for All With a Special Focus on Underrepresented Subpopulations, Including Racial Subgroups, July 2013 (FDASIA 1138)
- www.LEP.gov